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 griguthul rated 10 months ago - Ganesha
An elephant's trunk has the strength to uproot a tree as well as the finesse to pick up a needle.
Ganesha's trunk symbolises the fact that the wise person has both immense strength and fine discrimination. Ganesha has large ears. The wise person hears all. He has four han... more
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- griguthul rated 10 months agoindia, mythology, religion, spirituality, hinduism
- Ganesha
An elephant's trunk has the strength to uproot a tree as well as the finesse to pick up a needle.
Ganesha's trunk symbolises the fact that the wise person has both immense strength and fine discrimination. Ganesha has large ears. The wise person hears all. He has four hands. In one hand he holds a lotus, the symbol of enlightenment. In the other hand he holds a hatchet. That is, the old karma, all your sanskars, the accumulated good and bad of past deeds get cut when enlightenment comes.
The third hand holds laddus, the round sweet-meats. They are the rewards of a wise life. Ganesha is never shown eating the laddus. The wise man never partakes of the rewards of his deeds. He is not attached to them. The fourth hand is shown blessing the people. The wise man wishes the best for everyone.
Ganesha has only one tusk; the other is shown broken. There is an interesting story as to how Ganesh happened to get an elephant's head and how one tusk got broken. The symbolism of the broken tusk is that the wise person is beyond duality.
We tend to think that we end when our bodies end in the material world. We are the first person. All else is different. This duality is created by the mind which creates the ego to help us survive in this world. This 'me-other' duality is the screen keeping us from realising our real Self, which is beyond body and mind. Once we transcend this duality, we see the entire Universe as a single whole and we become aware of our true Selves. The single tusk of Ganesha symbolises this non-duality. Wisdom allows us to see all as one and ourselves an integral part of the whole.
Ganesha is shown sitting with one foot on the ground and the other resting on his knee, above the ground. The wise person is of this earth, yet not entirely of this earth.
Ganesha is shown seated on a rat. The reason for saying that Ganesha 'rides' on the rat is that the rat is among the greediest of all animals. It will keep nibbling at whatever is available, eating everything it can. Scientifically, too, the rat's teeth keep growing and it has to keep chewing on something to keep these within limits. The rat is a symbol of our senses, which are never satisfied. They crave new experiences, new tastes. Left uncontrolled, they keep growing forever. The wise person rides on his senses. He keeps them under control.
Ganesha is often shown seated in front of a tray of sweets. In these images the rat is shown sitting in front of Ganesha, perhaps a bit to one side, looking up at him. The senses of the wise person are under his control and the rat dare not eat the sweets without the permission of Ganesha.
Ganesha is the son of Shiva and Parvati, the God governing the life-force and the earth-mother. This symbolises the spirit and body of the wise person. Finally, the wise person has the dignity of an elephant.
When we say Aum Ganeshaya Namah before starting anything what we are saying is that In what we are about to do, let wisdom be our guide. In a sense, Ganesha is our most powerful god, and he is usually remembered before starting any rituals for other deities.
asthana1@yahoo.com
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/The_image_of_Ganesha_ and_its_meaning/articleshow/3437331.cms
- vvk rated 10 months agoculture, hinduism, india, religion, spirituality
Ganesha (Sanskrit: ; Gaea; also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh), the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati, is widely worshipped as the supreme god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.
He is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities/divinities in Hinduism.
Although he is known by many attributes, Ganesha's elephant head makes him easy to identify. Several texts relate mythological anecdotes associated with his birth and exploits and explain his distinct iconography.
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Ganesha is popularly worshipped as the Remover of Obstacles, and also more generally as Lord of Beginnings, Patron of Arts & Sciences, and the God of Intellect, Learning and Wisdom. He is honoured with affection at the start of any ritual or ceremony and invoked as the "Patron of Letters" at the beginning of any writing.
Ganesha is a popular figure in Indian art. He may be portrayed standing, dancing, heroically taking action against demons, playing with his family as a boy, sitting down, or engaging in a range of contemporary situations.
Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati, Pune, India
Ashtavinayak literally means "eight Ganeshas" in Sanskrit. The term also refers to a pilgrimage to the eight temples in Maharashtra state of India, that house eight distinct (and famous) idols of Ganesh, in a pre-ascertained sequence.
The Ashtavinayak tour covers the eight ancient holy temples of Lord Ganesha which are situated around Pune. Each of these temples has its own individual mythology and history, as distinct from each other as the idols in each temple.
The position of each idol, and its trunk are some of their differentiating aspects.
Shri Mayureshwar, Morgaon, India
One of the most famous Ashtavinayak temples/idols
Amazingly, Ganesha is considered to be a "cool" icon by the youth these days -- Ganesha motifs can be seen in wide range of accessories/events particularly targeted at the youth, such as the sand-art and the funky tattoo below.
This page is not affiliated with wikipedia.org.
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